Yearning for common ground at Capitol

The Fort Atkinson Democrat joined almost two dozen other passengers on the public bus Monday as they went to work, school, or ran their errands. “They were surprised to see me there,” he chuckles, “and that I actually wanted to listen to hear what they had to say about the state of our state. It was really a great experience for me.”

Topics of discussion included jobs, the governor’s budget priorities, and the economy. Jorgensen says his constituents also talked about their own experiences, hardships, and ideas. But, mostly, he says, people are just fed up with the lack of bipartisanship in the state Capitol. “The question always comes up: ‘Why can’t you guys work together to get something done?'”

People often refer to the previous tumultuous session of the legislature. “In some cases, have given up on government doing anything at all. And that’s a shame. That’s what I really want to concentrate on in this session more than anything else … is trying to get something done, and doing it together.”

Community leaders from Milton and Whitewater joined Jorgensen in kicking of Wisconsin Transit Week, which the governor has declared for February 4th – 10th with the goal of bring awareness to the benefits of Wisconsin’s transit system.